RSS Feed
September 16th, 2017 
Awake Goy 
nsnbc : The tragic killings of people with albinism in Mozambique continued in September with the killing of a 17-year-old boy named Chinguirai Joao in Benga, in the Moatize district of Mozambique’s Tete province. Three individuals wanted for the murder are still at large.
Selina, right, and her friend Mwanaidi play together in a Tanzanian classroom. Children with albinism are very vulnerable to attack, mutilation and murder. Courtesy EPA/Johan Baevman
The appalling murder was carried out on Wednesday, September 13, to secure parts of the body of the victim, including hair, the brain and limbs. A local community leader from Moatize district informed the press. Fearing reprisals he spoke with AIM on condition of anonymity, explaining:
“It was strange. The young man, called Chinguirai Joao, was kidnapped during day and killed in the evening when his parents were looking for him because he was late coming home. … It happened in Nhambaluwalu village, here in Benga. The body was found after a search, but missing some parts. The criminals removed the bones of the arms and legs, the hair, and cracked the boy’s skulls to remove his brain. This crime has got us all worried.”
The community leader said that the population of the village demanded the capture of the criminals and that they be punished severely to prevent further occurrences. Lurdes Ferreira, police spokeswoman for Tete, told reporters that:
“This case has not yet been reported by the police because has not been reported by the police station that covers that area. … Nevertheless, we will start investigations in the area where the crime occurred to establish in what circumstances the young man was kidnapped and later murdered, and launch a search to capture those responsible for this macabre crime.”
Children with albinism often have poor eyesight, so classroom seating plans are important. Courtesy Antony Njuguna/Reuters
Several instances of the abduction and murder of albinos were reported in Tete province last year, creating panic among the residents. Four months ago, there was a failed attempted murder when parents themselves were stopped before they could sell their albino child in Moatize. The incident did not only renew the much-needed debate about education to counter the superstitions and alleged “magic” linked to albino people; It also created much-needed, but too little debate about the socio-economic factors that could contribute to motivating parents to selling their albino child “for slaughter”.
Killings, illegal exhumations and attacks on albinos in sub-Saharan Africa represent a serious problem. The crimes are linked to beliefs that potions prepared with albino body parts bring good luck and wealth. Chinguirai João’s murder comes at a time when the sentencing in May of this year of a group of eight defendants involved in the trafficking of albino body parts, including two public servants, a policewoman and the permanent secretary of the Tete provincial government, is still fresh in the public memory.
Policewoman Odente Luís was sentenced to 16 years in prison, as were Ana Cristina, Ajussa Cassimo and Luísa Amélia. Co-defendants Ngelo Chico and Jacob Simbe got 12 years in jail, and Eusébio Chapar and Martinho Gouveia eight. These sentences however failed to curb the hunting of albinos, with kidnappings known to have occurred in Changara, Cahora Bassa, Tsangano, Doa and Angónia.
F/AK – nsnbc 16.09.2017
Source Article from https://nsnbc.me/2017/09/16/86193/
Posted in 
Tags: 
